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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

This is Richard Law's most complete revised edition of "Backbone of the Wehrmacht The German K98K Rifle" which covers the time period of 1934 through the end of WW-II in 1945. I found this to be the best, most detail source, and historically correct book on the famous German Mauser 98K Rifle and its accessories. This was Richard Laws last documentary text on the 98K prior to his early death. It provides intricate details on everything from the smallest proof marks, caliber indicators, wood stock changes, and tables of manufacturing data through all the years. Photographs are stunning in detail, historical of men responsible for modification and valuable to guide the reader. I highly recommend this "must own" book for students, collectors and historians interested in the developement of one of the world's most famous war historical rifles. From the early days prior to WW-II when great attention was given to the extreme performance of the 98K and it's intricate markings, to the final months of hurried manufacturing as the war's end approached, Richard Law collected the most exhausting information ever for his book. I consider this to be my most valuable source of knowledge of the German 98K Mauser Rifle. Donald P. Muhl - Hawkins, Texas

This book would be extremely useful if only for the photographs. However, the content is excellent, well-researched and laid out in such a manner as to invite further scrutiny. It is not exhaustive, as the title indicates, but certainly deals very effectively with the Wehrmacht. Highly recommended.

Simple and easy, this is hands down the most accurate and comprehensive guide to anyone looking to learn more about Mauser production. Including some pre and post war periods figures as well. As a collector I always keep a copy of this and use it as a guide for determining authenticity, history and potential value of every K98 I come across. This book helped me to correct a "reputable" area dealer from selling me an "all matching K98." I was able to point out discrepancies on some of the markings that proved it was not completely matching. The dealer was not pleased to admit this mismatch, and still refused to adjust the price or fix the tag! I did not get the rifle, but it saved me from paying near double the estimated value of the piece.The book already paid for itself!

If you are serious about collecting, or have a strong enthusiasm for firearm or WWII history, the value of the book is worth every penny. There is no actual pricing guide within; but estimated production numbers, and confirmation of markings/matching parts will help you determine "value/rarity" based on current market prices. Also love the easy to follow dated look ups by manufacturer, great pictures of the rifles, parts, diagrams, and all the documented photo history of this firearm production to use.

If you want to know everything in the world about the K98k rifle, literally, look no further. This book takes the legendary rifle through a year-by-year examination and also breaks it down further into each manufacturer each year - the research that went into this book is astonishing. If you collect K98s, this book is invaluable, as I doubt if anyone will ever be able to better it in terms of the sheer volume of information, the quality of the photographs, and the details, both large and small. It includes exhaustive details on rifle markings, codes, and production figures, so this really is a phenomenal book and you'll refer back to it over-and-over again through the years.

I bought this book with a bit of trepidation about whether it was outdated or not. After looking through it, I would say it's still current. The pictures and info are detailed and very clear. It is well-written and informative. I didn't find any "errors" as some have claimed.I believe that those that are criticising this book have an agenda based on comments they saw or made on the K98 Forum. There is a new "trilogy" on the K98 being written and "pushed" on that forum as being the "ultimate authority" on the 98K. They are attempting to discredit this book in order to increase sales of that item.

The book is full of much more detail on the K98k's history, modifications, and manufacturer's processes than in my several other references. The book appears to be a great value for ID'ing arcane markings beyond the usual maker/year info normally found, despite the high cost and several obvious typos. I don't know if the other reviewer's remarks about errors are based on those typos or if he has access to better references than I do. That is certainly possible. Like anything, we all have to crosscheck data to arrive at our perception of ground truth.